I have spring on the brain, as I'm sure many of you do. Growing up in western New York, the robin was always the harbinger of spring. I would turn cartwheels upon seeing the first one of the season, because I knew it signaled the end of winter. Now that I live in Virginia, I see robins all winter. Who now brings the promise of spring? The bluebird.

An Early Bluebirdby Maurice Thompson

Leap to the highest height of spring, And trill thy sweetest note, Bird of the heavenly plumes and twinkling wing And silver-toned throat!

Sing, while the maple’s deepest root Thrills with a pulse of fire That lights its buds. Blow, blow thy tender flute, Thy reed of rich desire!

Breathe in thy syrinx Freedom’s breath, Quaver the fresh and true,Dispel this lingering wintry mist of death And charm the world anew!

Thou first sky-dipped spring-bud of song, Whose heavenly ecstasy Foretells the May while yet March winds are strong, Fresh faith appears with thee!

How sweet, how magically rich, Through filmy splendor blown, Thy hopeful voice set to the promise-pitch Of melody yet unknown!

O land of mine (where hope can grow And send a deeper root With every spring), hear, heed the free bird blow Hope’s charmed flute!

Ah! who will hear, and who will care, And who will heed thy song, As prophecy, as hope, as promise rare, Budding to bloom ere long?

We see, we hear (thou liberty-loving thing, That down spring winds doth float), The promise of thine empyrean wing, The hope that floods thy throat!

Puzzled by syrinx? I was too, until I pulled out the Oxford English Dictionary. A syrinx is (1) an ancient musical instrument (pan pipe) or (2) the organ of voice in birds.

The round up this week is being hosted by Kelly Fineman over at Writing and Ruminating. On this fair leap day, do be sure to stop by and take in all the wonderful poetry being shared. Before you go, don't miss this week's poetry stretch results. Happy poetry Friday, all!

The Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) has declared 2008 as the Year of the Frog. (You can learn more about this at Leap Into the Year of the Frog.) In honor of all things amphibian, I thought it might be fun to explore some books and poems for learning about frogs, toads and other amphibians. I have grouped these selections into nonfiction, poetry and fiction. Since the frog life cycle is usually a very big topic in the early elementary classroom, this selection of books will be particularly useful for these units of study.

Nonfiction

Nic Bishop Frogs by Nic Bishop - This engaging text is accompanied by gorgeous photographs of frogs in their natural habitats. Readers will learn an amazing array of facts, both scientific and quirky. (You can read my review.)

All About Frogs by Jim Arnosky - Accompanied by beautiful acrylics, this book introduces amphibians and then discusses the characteristics, habitats, life cycle, diet, and more about frogs.

Frogs by Gail Gibbons - In steady Gibbons' style, full-color illustrations show readers the life cycles of frogs, exploring the stages from tadpole to adulthood. One helpful feature is the presentation of scientific terms in phonetic form. If you download the teacher's guide from her web site, there are two pages devoted to this book.

What's In the Pond? by Anne Hunter - This volume in the Hidden Life series looks at the frogs, tadpole, painted turtle, red-winged blackbird and more. On 10 double-page spreads, readers are presented with information on the left and illustrations on the right. Each section of text describes the physical features and behavior of each animal.

Frog Heaven: Ecology of a Vernal Poolby Doug Wechsler - Vernal pools are temporary wetlands that dry each summer, then refill during the fall, winter and spring. This book examines the changes in a vernal pool in the woods of Delaware and describes the creatures that live there.

From Tadpole to Frog by Wendy Pfeffer - This book in the Let's-Read-and-Find-Out Science series introduces readers to the life cycle of frogs.

Red-eyed Tree Frog by Joy Cowley - Accompanied by the amazing photographs of Nic Bishop, this book describes the life of the Central American red-eyed tree frog.

The Moon of the Salamanders by Jean Craighead George - One of the books in the 13 moons series, this title describes the emergence of a spotted salamander from his winter hibernation.

The Frog by Sally Tagholm - Part of the Animal Lives series, this book focuses on the common frog (European) and describes its life cycle in rich detail.

Pond Life by Barbara Taylor - A title in the Look Closer series, this book uses amazing photographs and snippets of text to describe newts, jelly babies (frogs from egg to tadpole), adult frogs, and other pond inhabitants.

At the Frog Pond by Tilde Michels - Originally published in Germany, this English translation begins, "Did you ever wonder how a tadpole turns into a frog?/Did you ever stumble onto a secluded spot where you could hear and see the wondrous ways of nature--a clearing, a marsh--or a small frog pond?" From here, readers discover the ecology of a frog pond.

Listen for me on a spring night,on a wet night,on a rainy night.Listen for me on a still night,for in the night, I sing.

Fiction

It's a Frog's Life: My Story of Life in a Pond by Steve Parker - Written in journal format and accompanied by illustrations in different styles, a frog describes his life in spring when he wakes from hibernation, to winter, where he prepares for another long sleep.

Tuesday by David Wiesner - This Caldecott medal winner is a wordless picture book (almost!) in frogs riding lily pads like magic carpets sail over the countryside and into an unsuspecting town for an evening of fun.

A Toad for Tuesday by Russell Erickson - This is the story of an unlikely friendship between an owl and the toad he intends to eat for his birthday dinner. Read Puss Reboots review of the book.

A Frog in the Bog by Karma Wilson - A frog in a bog, sitting on a log, eats nearly everything in sight, from 1 tick to 5 snails. Now that he's fat from his meal, imagine his surprise when the log he is sitting on turns out to be alive!

Finally, and just for fun, you can download directions on folding an origami frog from the New Zealand Frogs site. You can also try this origami math lesson which includes a "fabulous frog" reproducible. Thanks to everyone who suggested titles on my original post. If I've missed a favorite of yours, please let me know and I'll add it to the list.

Tuesday, February 26, 2008

Did you know that the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) is highlighting 2008 as the Year of the Frog? In an effort to raise awareness and mark a major conservation effort to address the amphibian extinction crisis, the AZA has created a series of educational activities and resources.

Starting February 29th (Leap Day), more than 70 members of the AZA will be holding fun, family-friendly events and programs to educate people about amphibian conservation. Zoo and aquarium visitors can take part in a variety of activities including leapfrog contests, frog calling, zookeepers and aquarist talks, amphibian scavenger hunts, investigating salamander habitat, and close encounters with our colorful frog friends! Learn more about events near you.

Books of any kind compete with so many digital diversions that just about any fiction that encourages long reading hours is worth a look — pulp or sports or Western or murder mystery or classic novel. Reading researchers believe that sheer volume of reading plays a large role in the acquisition of basic literacy skills and vocabulary, and that print matter of even child-oriented books can be more verbally challenging than some of the best television shows.

It's an interesting piece. Do read the article and the comments, and when you get a chance, stop by the iPulp Fiction Library and check it out. There are titles by Orson Scott Card (Ender's Game), Bruce Coville (Wizard's Boy) and more.

Today in the Guardian, Graeme Allister writes about Dailylit.com, and the notion of receiving books in daily installments through e-mail. He writes:

Despite this flexibility, there's a certain sterility in reading in ready-sized portions. Perhaps it's a little too reminiscent of homework. Then there's the problem of reading a screen, a sensation which, in my opinion, doesn't really lend itself to fiction.

I have been receiving and rereading Little Women for the last few months. It is in 227 installments, and I am somewhere in the eighties. I must admit that there are days when I want to read more, but I am trying to be patient. As someone who receives close to 200 e-mail messages a day (some of it junk), this snippet of a book is like a little piece of sunshine in my mailbox. I look forward to finding it in my list and catching up with Jo.

Monday, February 25, 2008

There are many days when I want to talk to someone who isn't here, to ask questions, to wonder. I've been mulling this over for a while now and think it's time we wrote some apostrophe. An apostrophe is a poem which directly addresses a person or thing that is generally absent. Here are some beginning lines from poems that use this form.

Percy Bysshe Shelley - Ode to the West WindO Wild West Wind, thou breath of Autumn's beingThou from whose unseen presence the leaves deadAre driven like ghosts from an enchanter fleeing,

John Pierpont - The Fugitive Slave’s Apostrophe to the North StarStar of the North! though night winds driftThe fleecy drapery of the skyBetween thy lamp and me, I lift,Yea, lift with hope, my sleepless eyeTo the blue heights wherein thou dwellest,And of a land of freedom tellest.

William Shakespeare - Julius Caesar, Act 3, Scene 1O, pardon me, thou bleeding piece of earth,That I am meek and gentle with these butchers!Thou art the ruins of the noblest manThat ever lived in the tide of times.

Now that you've read a few examples for inspiration, who or what will you write to for your apostrophe? Leave me a comment about your poem and I will post the results here later this week.

Sunday, February 24, 2008

William spent the last four weeks attending Saturday Art School at a local University known for its outstanding art program. Taught by students in the undergraduate and graduate art education programs, he had two glorious hours each week to explore art beyond the boundaries of regular classroom instruction. He created artwork with natural pigments (foods, minerals, plants), worked with tissue paper in warm and cool colors to create stained glass images, and made mixed media artwork along with many other projects. Most work centered on themes of the natural world. On their last day, students studied van Gogh's self-portraits and created their own. At the end of the session they held an exhibition where all student artwork was displayed. The teachers told us about each project and the goals for instruction, then the children got to talk about their work.

Here is William's natural pigment piece, created with charcoal, grape juice and "something green."Here is his pastel piece on the food chain. If shows a snake, meerkat and scorpion. (Yes, we're faithful Meerkat Manor watchers!)Here is his final piece, the self-portrait.William has always been highly engaged in looking deeply and reflectively at the art in the picture books he reads, commenting on the aspects that appeal most to him. This experience has given him additional tools with which to look at art, and given him a new appreciation for the work that illustrators do.

Friday, February 22, 2008

New BlogsOne of the things I love about Poetry Friday is that we often have new people join us, and when they do, I learn about new blogs. Today I found my way to these two blogs that I'll be keeping a close eye on and visiting regularly.

Paper Doll - Lara, this blog's author, worked at one of the oldest literary agencies in the country for nearly 3 years, and before that interned at an educational publisher and was an independent contractor for a well-known children's publisher. She is willing to answer questions about agents, submissions, or children's publishing in general if you e-mail her. I predict lots of mail in her future.Oh, and by the way, her mother is this amazing writer!

Audiobooker - Mary, this blog's author, is a middle school teacher-librarian, audiobook addict, and author of Book Link Magazine's audiobook column "Voices in My Head." Her post today highlights the book Blues Journey, by Walter Dean Myers and his son, Christopher. It includes an audio sample that is simply lovely. I must have this book in both print and audio format!

Fun StuffHorton Hears a Who - Teachers can register to receive a free animated e-book for this year's Read Across America event. This looks like great fun. (Thanks to Audiobooker for the link.)

Edna St. Vincent Millay was born on this day in 1892. In honor of her birthday, here are two poems of hers I particularly enjoy.

I will put Chaos into fourteen lines

I will put Chaos into fourteen linesAnd keep him there; and let him thence escapeIf he be lucky; let him twist, and apeFlood, fire, and demon --- his adroit designsWill strain to nothing in the strict confinesOf this sweet order, where, in pious rape,I hold his essence and amorphous shape,Till he with Order mingles and combines.Past are the hours, the years of our duress,His arrogance, our awful servitude:I have him. He is nothing more nor lessThan something simple not yet understood;I shall not even force him to confess;Or answer. I will only make him good.

Afternoon on a Hill

I will be the gladdest thing Under the sun!I will touch a hundred flowers And not pick one.

I will look at cliffs and clouds With quiet eyes,Watch the wind bow down the grass, And the grass rise.

And when lights begin to show Up from the town,I will mark which must be mine, And then start down!

The round up today is being hosted by Kelly over at Big A little a. Please stop by and check out all the great poetry being shared today. Before you go, be sure to have a look at this week's poetry stretch results. Happy poetry Friday, all!

I've been working on several different chants. This one highlights some of my favorite animals. When you say it (sing it?) think in the rhythm of the William Tell overture (not too fast and with feeling). Here we go.

Everywhere I look (read) these days, people are writing and talking about reading. In Sunday's Washington Post, Howard Garnder wrote a piece entitled The End of Literacy? Don't Stop Reading. In it he says:

But now, at the start of the 21st century, there's a dizzying set of literacies available -- written languages, graphic displays and notations. And there's an even broader array of media -- analog, digital, electronic, hand-held, tangible and virtual -- from which to pick and choose. There will inevitably be a sorting-out process. Few media are likely to disappear completely; rather, the idiosyncratic genius and peculiar limitations of each medium will become increasingly clear. Fewer people will write notes or letters by hand, but the elegant handwritten note to mark a special occasion will endure.

I don't worry for a nanosecond that reading and writing will disappear. Even in the new digital media, it's essential to be able to read and write fluently and, if you want to capture people's attention, to write well. Of course, what it means to "write well" changes: Virginia Woolf didn't write the same way that Jane Austen did, and Arianna Huffington's blog won't be confused with Walter Lippmann's columns. But the imaginative spheres and real-world needs that all those written words address remain.

Then, in today's New York Times OpEd column, Timothy Egan writes about Book Lust. In it he says:

Reading is something else, an engagement of the imagination with life experience. It’s fad-resistant, precisely because human beings are hard-wired for story, and intrinsically curious. Reading is not about product.

For most of my lifetime, I’ve heard that reading is dead. In that time, disco has died, drive-in movies have nearly died, and something called The Clapper has come and gone through bedrooms across the nation.

But reading? This year, about 400 million books will be sold in the United States. Overall, business is up 1 percent — not bad, in a rough economy, for a $15 billion industry still populated by people whose idea of how to sell books dates to Bartleby the Scrivener.

Add to this mix the LeGuin article I talked about here and here, and you have a veritable stampede of folks reflecting on the place of books and reading in our society.

The Center on Education Policy just released the results of a study that indicate some school districts increased math and reading time by as much as 150 minutes a week, while cutting time for social studies, science, music and art by one-third. This survey of 349 school districts nationwide shows that more teaching time is being devoted to math and science while time is cut for social studies, science, music and art. Here are some highlights.

In the six years that the No Child Left Behind law has been in effect, 62 percent of the school districts surveyed had increased the amount of time spent in elementary schools on reading/English language arts and/or math. Those districts, on average, added 141 minutes a week to reading, while others added 89 minutes a week, on average, to math.

About 44 percent of the districts increased time for reading and/or math while cutting time spent for elementary school science, social studies, art and music, physical education, lunch or recess. On average, time spent in those subjects was cut by 32 percent.

The average time for social studies decreased by 76 minutes per week, 57 minutes per week in art/music, 50 minutes per week in recess and 40 minutes per week in physical education.

I was happily preparing dinner last night when one of my favorite occasional series aired on NPR. Called You Must Read This, the series gives authors a chance to talk about the books they love. In the newest installment, Sloan Crosley discusses The Secret Garden, one of my childhood favorites. It's a lovely essay. Do listen.

Tuesday, February 19, 2008

While at a faculty meeting today, I stole a few minutes to reread Ursula Le Guin's article in Harper's Magazine entitled Staying Awake: Notes on the Alleged Decline of Reading. There is a particularly noteworthy section where she talks about the act of reading. A portion of it resonated with me and reminded me of something John Green said in the talk he gave at UR last fall. John talked about reading as an act of negotiation between writer and reader, in which the reader engages in quiet conversation with the author. Here's Le Guin's spin on the same idea.

A book won't move your eyes for you the way images on a screen do. It won't move your mind unless you give it your mind, or your heart unless you put your heart in it. It won't do the work for you. To read a story well is to follow it, to act it, to feel it, to become it--everything short of writing it, in fact. Reading is not "interactive" with a set of rules or options, as games are; reading is actual collaboration with the writer's mind.

My students turned in their very first podcasts this week. Each one has highlighted a counting book for instruction in early elementary grades. Over at Open Wide, Look Inside I will be posting one podcast every day for the next week. Please stop by, have a listen, and leave a comment for them. I know they will appreciate the feedback.

Today's podcast highlights Tana Hoban's book, So Many Circles, So Many Squares.

Monday, February 18, 2008

I know that the Cybils 2007 winners have just been announced, but I'm already looking ahead to 2008. I reviewed the forthcoming book It's Moving Day! over at my other blog. (Read it here.) Looking into my crystal ball, I predict it will be a nominee for picture book nonfiction.

How's this for a poetry stretch -- could you take the names of a group of, say, 10-20 rodents, or mammals (or even poets, authors or bloggers) and make them into a rhyming chant? I'm heading over to Miss Rumphius right now to suggest it!

Gauntlet thrown and accepted. For me, the ultimate rhyming chant is Tom Lehrer's song The Elements.

I'm not sure I have enough math to write about, so I set it aside and began thinking about mammals. Here's how it started.

Elephant, rhinocerouskangaroo and platypusRabbit, fox and polar bearBats are flying through the air

The rhyme works, but I have a strong desire for these animals to be related in some way. Perhaps I'll try continent or biome.

So fair poetry writers, your challenge for this week is to write a rhyming chant of your own. What will you choose? Will it be cities, food, flowers, or something else? I'll continue working on my mammal chant. Leave me a comment when your poem is complete and I will post the results here later this week.

Friday, February 15, 2008

When I began teaching a course in Content Area Literacy, I decided to introduce preservice teachers to graphic novels as a means of integrating reading into middle and high school subject area classes. They were skeptical, but after reading Art Spiegelman's book Maus I: A Survivor's Tale: My Father Bleeds History, they were convinced. This graphic novel presents the story of his father's struggle to survive the Holocaust and is drawn from information gleaned when Spiegelman interviewed his father about these events. In graphic format, the Jews are portrayed as mice, the Germans cats, and the Americans dogs. In addition to presenting the events of the Holocaust, Spiegelman shares the effects of these events on survivor's years later, as well as the impact on later generations. Despite the graphic format, Spiegelman was able to convey the terror of the Holocaust. Maus is not an easy read, largely because it places readers squarely in the midst of the action and forces them to rethink their views of these events.

Maus was the first graphic novel I read. I fell in love with the form and have not been disappointed since. I was particularly moved by his recent book, In the Shadow of No Towers, a collection of comics in response to the events of 9-11. You can learn more about this book at these sites.

Together with his wife, Françoise Mouly, Art Spiegelman has edited three anthologies of comics for children, entitled Little Lit. You can read more about Little Lit in this interview with Françoise Mouly.

Art Spiegelman celebrates his 60th birthday today. You can learn more about this talented comic artist, author and illustrator at these sites.

My amazing boy will be seven tomorrow. It's heartbreaking, really. He's growing up too fast. This year, for some reason, it's hitting me hard. Perhaps it's all the new babies I'm surrounded by at work these days. It seems just like yesterday that we were driving to the hospital for delivery day, not sleeping at night, celebrating first steps, and many other milestones. I read this poem a while ago, and it captures the melancholy I feel.

BabylonBy Robert Graves

The child alone a poet is: Spring and Fairyland are his. Truth and Reason show but dim, And all’s poetry with him. Rhyme and music flow in plenty For the lad of one-and-twenty, But Spring for him is no more now Than daisies to a munching cow; Just a cheery pleasant season, Daisy buds to live at ease on. He’s forgotten how he smiled And shrieked at snowdrops when a child, Or wept one evening secretly For April’s glorious misery. Wisdom made him old and wary Banishing the Lords of Faery. Wisdom made a breach and battered Babylon to bits: she scattered To the hedges and ditches All our nursery gnomes and witches.Lob and Puck, poor frantic elves, Drag their treasures from the shelves. Jack the Giant-killer’s gone, Mother Goose and Oberon, Bluebeard and King Solomon. Robin, and Red Riding Hood Take together to the wood, And Sir Galahad lies hid In a cave with Captain Kidd. None of all the magic hosts, None remain but a few ghosts Of timorous heart, to linger on Weeping for lost Babylon.

The round up this week is being hosted by Vivian over at HipWriterMama. Do stop by and read all the great poetry being shared this week. But wait! Before you go, be sure to check out this week's poetry stretch results. Happy poetry Friday, all!

Thursday, February 14, 2008

In the February issue of Harper's Magazine you can read an article by Ursula Le Guin entitled Staying Awake: Notes on the Alleged Decline of Reading. In it, she directly challenges the "moralizing tone" of the NEA report, To Read or Not to Read. You'll remember that this report, released last November, found that nearly every kind of reading, at nearly every level, is on the decline.

Le Guin has an interesting response. Do try and get your hands on a copy of the magazine. This is provocative stuff.

Wednesday, February 13, 2008

Doodle 4 Google - You know all those great thematic banners Google has? Well, Google has announced a competition that invites school children to design a Google logo inspired by the question, “What If ...?” The winning student’s doodle will be displayed on the Google homepage on May 22, 2008, with the champion “doodler” winning a $10,000 college scholarship and a $25,000 technology grant for his/her school.

America the Beautiful Scavenger Hunt - School Library Journal is sponsoring a contest where participants submit 10 questions and answers that reveal the most wonderful and wacky facts that answer the question: What should everyone know about your state? Hurry, the deadline for this one is March 15th. Two winning librarians in each state will receive a free collection of America the Beautiful, Third Series and the scavenger hunts will be published in an additional title of America the Beautiful WOW! WEIRD, wacky and OUT of this WORLD state facts!

Tuesday, February 12, 2008

"Australia apologized Wednesday to its indigenous people for past treatment that "inflicted profound grief, suffering and loss," in a historic parliamentary vote that supporters said would open a new chapter in race relations in the country."

Read more about this historic event. I'd lay odds that our Congress will never go this far, but wouldn't it be nice to see the US government consider making an apology to Native peoples?

The inaugural post of Steve Jenkins is up at I.N.K. this morning. Entitled Science and Censorship, he speaks eloquently about the more subtle forms of censorship that exist when we choose to ignore the science behind something because it's easier or more economic.

This is thoughtfully written and makes for good reading. Do take a look.

Monday, February 11, 2008

Okay, here's one more article I had to share. This one is from the The Star. It is titled Homework a Homewrecker. Here's how it begins.

Homework is of little benefit to students from junior kindergarten to Grade 6, say the authors of a just-released Canadian study, who also found it is often the source of stress and burnout in children, as well the cause of conflict – even marital stress – for many families.

I spend a lot of time with my students discussing the merits of homework. I recommend a lot of games for math homework as a fun way to practice skills. What do you think? What are the advantages/disadvantages of homework?

Friday, February 08, 2008

Last week I picked up a copy of Under the Moon, a book of unpublished early poetry of William Butler Yeats. It contains thirty-eight poems written between the poet's late teens and early twenties, and was published under the title Yeats had once planned to give his first volume of collected poems. Here is one poem I can't seem to shake.

Wherever in the wastesby William Butler Yeats

Wherever in the wastes of wrinkling sandWorn by the fan of ever flaming timeLonging for human converse, we have pitchedA camp for musing in some seldom spotOf not unkindly nurture, and let looseTo roam and ponder those sad dromedariesOur dreams, the Master of the pilgrimageCries, "Nay -- the caravan goes ever on,The goal lies further than the morning star."

The round up this week is being hosted by Gina at AmoXcalli. Do stop by and read all the great poetry that's been offered up. Before you go, be sure to check out this week's poetry stretch results. Happy poetry Friday, all!

Thursday, February 07, 2008

This week's challenge was to write a poem to accompany this image. The photograph was taken by Mark Knobil, a freelance video/film photographer from Pittsburgh. The image is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 License.

For me, this photograph got me thinking about eating the same thing day in and day out, which led to some thoughts about single life and Ramen Noodles.

I Had It Good

I shudder when I pass them in the market,the Ramen Noodles and Mac & Cheese,sometimes even peanut butter.

I wonder how I made it through theweeks and months on cheap food,sleepless nights, and days upon daysin front of wide-eyed kids,wondering if I was doing it right.

I entered adulthoodearning $8000 a year,living in a tiny space, made largeronly by the Murphy bed.Exactly one mile from school,I walked when the snow wasn'tblinding or deep.

My window looked out on the zoojust across the street.In the dead of winterover howling winds,I could still hear the elephants trumpetand lions roar,so far from their homes.

See those yams? They remind me ofRamen Noodles. Do you thinkthose women ever hatethat which nourishes them?Get tired of it? Regret not having more?I did. But those yams,baking in the sun,feeding the hungry,remind me how good I had it,even when it didn't feel that way.

It's not too late if you want to play. Take a look at the image and see what it inspires. Leave me a comment about your poem and I'll add it to the list.

It seems that this year's Willesden Herald International Short Story competition is over, and that the winner is ... no one. Due to the judges' inability to a find truly outstanding entry, the decision was made not to award a prize.

And we received a whole bunch of stories. We dutifully read through hundreds of them. But in the end – we have to be honest – we could not find the greatness we’d hoped for. It’s for this reason that we have decided not to give out the prize this year....The little Willesden Herald Prize is only about good writing, and it turns out that a prize faithfully recognizing this imperative must also face the fact that good writing is actually very rare. For let us be honest again: it is sometimes too easy, and too tempting, to blame everything that we hate in contemporary writing on the bookstores, on the corporate publishers, on incompetent editors and corrupt PR departments – and God knows, they all have their part to play. But we also have our part to play. We also have to work out how to write better and read better.

There are many thoughtful comments, but this one had me nodding in agreement.

I wonder how many PUBLISHED stories Zadie Smith and the other judges would read to find one “great” story? Of course a free competition will have some chaff, but to expect “greatness” in a mid-level short story competition might be overstating the competition’s importance. Especially one “established to support unpublished writers.” Few writers achieve greatness without first passing through mediocrity, promise, proficiency…

At the end of January, the results from a national poll were released indicating that "30% of American voters are not only dissatisfied with public education’s narrow focus on the “so-called” basics but that they also believe developing the imagination is a critical, but missing, ingredient to student success in 21st century schools and moving students beyond average. . . The majority of voters surveyed believe that it is extremely important to have good public schools nationwide, but there is also concern that public education in the United States is behind what is offered to students in other parts of the world and that we devote less attention to developing the imagination, creative skills, and innovation than other nations."

Here are some of the results of the poll.

Almost nine in ten voters (89%) say that using the imagination is important to innovation and one’s success in a global knowledge-based economy and essential to success in the 21st Century.

69% of American voters believe that, when compared to other nations, America devotes less attention to developing the imagination and innovation.

88% of respondents indicated that an education in and through the arts is essential to cultivating the imagination.

63% of voters strongly believe that building capacities of the imagination that lead to innovation is just as important as the “so called” basics for all students in the classroom and that an education in and through the arts helps to substantiate imaginative learning (91%) and should be considered a part of the basics.

This is interesting stuff. It is particularly timely for me, as my class is discussing the impact of NCLB on subjects outside of reading and math.

For additional resources and more information on the poll, please visit the imagine nation.

Each week I receive messages from EdInfo, an informational list that highlights new resources at FREE (Federal Resources for Educational Excellence). If you are interested in finding good resources for teaching and learning, this is a great list to join.

This week a number of really outstanding sites and materials were listed for African American history. Since I was moved when exploring them, I thought you might want to see them as well.

We Shall Overcome: Historic Places of the Civil Rights MovementThis site from the National Park Service shows 49 churches, houses, and other properties related largely to the post-World War II civil rights movement. The links to these properties consist of photographs and texts, and the exhibit offers a bibliography and links to websites relating to civil rights. Here is an excerpt from the Introduction.

In visiting the 49 places listed in the National Register for their association with the modern civil rights movement, as well as the Selma-to-Montgomery March route--a Department of Transportation designated "All-American Road" and a National Park Service designated National Historic Trail--two things will be apparent. First, although they had white supporters and sympathizers, the modern civil rights movement was designed, led, organized, and manned by African Americans, who placed themselves and their families on the front lines in the struggle for freedom. Their heroism was brought home to every American through newspaper, and later, television reports as their peaceful marches and demonstrations were violently attacked by law enforcement officers armed with batons, bullwhips, fire hoses, police dogs, and mass arrests. The second characteristic of the movement is that it was not monolithic, led by one or two men. Rather it was a dispersed, grass-roots campaign that attacked segregation in many different places using many different tactics. On this itinerary you will learn about the people and places associated with one of the most important chapters in our history.

Drop Me Off in HarlemThis ArtsEdge site, a project of The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, is a multimedia exploration of the Harlem Renaissance (1920s-1930s). Students can hear Langston Hughes read his poems, listen to Duke Ellington direct his orchestra, or watch "Shorty" George Snowden dance the Lindy Hop. An interactive map displays important cultural, social, and political establishments. Lesson ideas and learning activities facilitate an arts-integrated approach to the study of key works and themes that emerged.

Scary admission aside, I do know a good interview when I read one. The Guardian writes about Judy's Blume's Lessons in Love as she approaches her 70th birthday. Once you're done with the article, head on over and check out her blog.

I guess now I'll need to pick up a title or two. Which one, dear readers, should I start with?

Monday, February 04, 2008

Here we will meet the writers whose words are presenting nonfiction in a whole new way. Discover books that show how nonfiction writers are some of the best storytellers around. Learn how these writers practice their craft: research techniques, fact gathering and detective work. Check out how they find unusual tidbits, make the facts interesting and write something kids will love to read. Explore how photos and illustrations are integrated with the text to explain an artists vision of the world. Consider what subjects are flooding the market and what still needs a voice. Rethink nonfiction for kids.

Last month I promised to devote the first Monday of each month to writing poems inspired by images. If you like this kind of stretch, you can take it up every week with Laura Purdie Salas and her 15 words or less challenge.

Here is your inspiration.This photograph was taken by Mark Knobil, a freelance video/film photographer from Pittsburgh. The image is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 License. Please be sure to include this information on your site if you include the image with your poem.

Alright, there's your stretch. Write any form of poetry inspired by this image. Leave me a comment about your poem and I'll round them all up later this week.

P.S. - Next week we'll take up rhyming chants, as suggested by Mary Lee over at A Year of Reading, so be prepared to put your thinking caps on!

Friday, February 01, 2008

While going through some old journals this week I came across some some poems I wrote in high school. After forcing myself to read some excruciatingly bad stuff, I was rewarded when I found scraps of paper among the pages. Folded carefully and hidden between lists of favorite words and poem ideas were works by real poets. I didn't remember most of them, but they must have meant something to me at one time. Here's one that I've been thinking about since I pulled it from those dusty pages.

The Secret of the Universeby Edward Dowden

I spin, I spin, around, around, And close my eyes, And let the bile arise From the sacred region of the soul’s Profound; Then gaze upon the world; how strange! how new! The earth and heaven are one, The horizon-line is gone, The sky how green! the land how fair and blue! Perplexing items fade from my large view, And thought which vexed me with its false and true Is swallowed up in Intuition; this, This is the sole true mode Of reaching God, And gaining the universal synthesis Which makes All—One; while fools with peering eyes Dissect, divide, and vainly analyse. So round, and round, and round again! How the whole globe swells within my brain, The stars inside my lids appear, The murmur of the spheres I hear Throbbing and beating in each ear; Right in my navel I can feel The centre of the world’s great wheel. Ah peace divine, bliss dear and deep, No stay, no stop, Like any top Whirling with swiftest speed, I sleep. O ye devout ones round me coming, Listen! I think that I am humming; No utterance of the servile mind With poor chop-logic rules agreeing Here shall ye find, But inarticulate burr of man’s unsundered being. Ah, could we but devise some plan, Some patent jack by which a man Might hold himself ever in harmony With the great whole, and spin perpetually, As all things spin Without, within, As Time spins off into Eternity,And Space into the inane Immensity, And the Finite into God’s Infinity, Spin, spin, spin, spin.

The round-up this week is being hosted by Karen Edmisten. Before you head over to read all the great posts, be sure to read the results of this week's poetry stretch, where lots of creative people wrote roundels. Happy poetry Friday, all!

Blogs I Read

Below you will find links to some of the many blogs I enjoy reading. They are broken down into categories and include only the FIVE MOST RECENT POSTS. You will find blogs written by teachers, librarians, homeschoolers, parents, authors, illustrators and many other folks who share a love for children's literature. Enjoy!